Preview & Full Details: India vs South Africa, 2nd Test in Guwahati
Guwahati will script history this week as it hosts its first-ever Test match. South Africa won the opening Test of the series against India by 30 runs and now lead 1-0.
The victory was South Africa’s first Test win in India since 2010 and their sixth overall. Meanwhile, India have now lost 4 out of 8 Tests under head coach Gautam Gambhir. South Africa’s defended target of 124 was the second-lowest that India have failed to chase and also the second-lowest total South Africa have successfully defended in Tests.
Even a draw will be enough for them to win their first Test series in India since 2000 where Hansie Cronje-led South Africa won both the matches against Sachin Tendulkar-led India.
Temba Bavuma extended his unbeaten record as Test captain. He now stands at 11 matches, 10 wins, 1 draw and 0 losses after the Kolkata result.
Despite the recent 3-0 defeat to New Zealand, India have maintained strong home numbers over the past decade. Between 2011 and 2023, India won 41 Tests, lost 5 and drew 9. Since 2024, India have won 8 and lost 5, marking a visible drop in home dominance.
South Africa now have a real chance to claim a rare series win in India, especially with full-time captain Shubman Gill facing the possibility of missing the second Test.
In the overall head-to-head, South Africa lead with 19 wins, while India have 16. 10 matches have ended in draws.
Team India News
Shubman Gill has been discharged from hospital after suffering a neck spasm during the Kolkata Test. However, his participation in Guwahati remains uncertain. If he misses out, Sai Sudharsan or Devdutt Padikkal could step in.
India fielded 6 left-hand batters in Kolkata for the first time. A similar change in Guwahati could take that number to 7 lefties in the playing eleven.
KL Rahul’s 39 was India’s highest individual score in the first Test. Washington Sundar was resilient and impressed at No. 3 with scores of 29 (82) and 31 (92). Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja got starts in the first innings but India’s batting lineup collapsed quickly once they got out.
India will hope Jaiswal and Rahul deliver at the top order. Jaiswal has 1033 runs in his last 25 innings, averaging 43.03. Rahul has 1044 runs in the same number of innings, averaging 45.39.
Dhruv Jurel saw his unbeaten streak end in Kolkata. He had won all 7 Tests since debut before the loss.
Jasprit Bumrah took a 5-wicket haul in the first innings and now has 59 wickets in his last 20 innings. Mohammed Siraj has taken 57 wickets in his last 25 innings. Jadeja picked up 4 wickets in the second innings after going wicketless in the first. Kuldeep, Jadeja and Axar will continue as the main spin trio. Sundar bowled only one over in the first innings so might continue to play as a batter.
Squad: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep.
South Africa Team News
Temba Bavuma’s unbeaten 55* was the highest individual score of the Test. His knock was the only score above KL Rahul’s 39 in the entire match.
Wiaan Mulder’s role remains flexible. He batted at No. 3 in Kolkata, scoring 24 (51) and 11 (30), and also opened the bowling with Marco Jansen. Tristan Stubbs played ahead of Dewald Brevis.
Aiden Markram contributed 31 and 4 across both innings. His dismissal of Washington Sundar late in the second innings proved decisive. At that moment, India still needed 52 runs with only Axar Patel left with the tail. Axar swung freely against Maharaj, hitting two sixes and a four, but fell attempting one shot too many.
Simon Harmer was the standout performer. The 36-year-old returned to Test cricket after nearly 7 years away and delivered match figures of 8/51, the second-best by a South African bowler in India. Only Dale Steyn’s 10/108 in Nagpur (2010) ranks higher.
Harmer and Keshav Maharaj will once again handle the spin duties. Marco Jansen picked 3 wickets in the first innings and 2 in the second. Kagiso Rabada, who missed the Kolkata Test, is likely to return to the lineup in place of Corbin Bosch.
Squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Dewald Brevis, Zubayr Hamza, Tony de Zorzi, Corbin Bosch, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Simon Harmer.